The Netball Show
S7 Ep41: NWC 5 Year Ani : Gary Burgess (19th July 2024)
Hi it's Gretel Bawetta and you're listening to The Netball Show. The Netball Show with Flyhawk, raising the bar for Netball and winning sports. Netball Show with Flyhawk, looking back at five years since Netball World Cup, special set of podcasts and we broke the budget once again. Gary, great to speak to you. No expense there, yeah. Five years ago, so I suppose what do you remember about it most being the first question. Was it on court or just that whole atmosphere in general? Oh, I mean, I think, you know, just being in Liverpool is such a beautiful city anyway, but I'm still look back at it with fond memories. I look back on all my World Cups with fond memories, but this one obviously being a home World Cup, which is fantastic. I thought the set up was lovely, you know, but in the history of me attending World Cups we've been in different kind of set up. So this was very similar to the 2011 World Cup with a court side-by-side. In 2015 it was in two venues, so it was nice to have courts side-by-side so that everyone could get a view of both courts. And I do remember that kind of like the sound crossover, especially when England, I think I was on Pirate Northern Ireland, it may well have been my 100th international match, but I was on Pirate Northern Ireland on one court in England, I think we're playing on the other court. So you did have all of that. Oh, one of what's going on over there. But it was just a lovely set up, I think England now nailed it with regard to that. And I know that people were sort of saying, "Oh, well Liverpool's a bit far out for everybody, why can't it be in Birmingham or in London?" But I absolutely think that the support from the local council to put on this show, I think that was another massive bonus or benefit that the city council embraced the game. So you'd be walking from the station to the venue and it just was amazing, they just went all out. And Kim 100, I can't remember the memories of it foggy, but was it a home-nation team as part of it? I forget who the opposition were, but it was definitely Northern Ireland were playing. It may well have been PG for a South Pacific team, but my memory is not great really, full of new rules. But yeah, it was lovely to have that opportunity and also to have it presented by previous president of World Apple, Molly Roan as well, someone that got a huge amount of respect for in the game. And you're special Acme whistle, but that didn't last long in your hands, did it? No, yeah, you're right. So I've kind of got into a little bit of a tradition really of giving away those whistles, but yeah, I've always been very well supported by Acme and Ben and the team, Acme gave me a couple of engraved whistles for the tournament and then also one for my 100. So I did keep that one. I think that's actually in England, Apple headquarters in the trophy cabinet, but a couple of my other ones often give them away at the end of the game. You had some of the world's best members of Team White with you, and obviously it was important that Jackie and Louise were there with you as well. Yeah, absolutely right. That was the first time for a long time that we've had four umpires. We also had Head of Gledel and Cheryl Danson on the umpire appointments panel. So it does go to show how much the kind of depth of our umpire and pool had increased in that time. And it's gone on since then as well, but it's always good to have close friends and people that you can spend a lot of time with off court. And obviously Kate Stevenson was appointed to the World Cup Final with myself and Louise. And unfortunately, I think when I look back on it, Jackie wasn't well in the last week of the tournament. So she had it have a couple of days off. And I mean, she in particular is someone that I always looked up to. And I say look up to, you know, I umpire probably in the Super League and internationally for about eight years before Jackie came in. But Jackie just epitomized everything about being an umpire that she's very understated. And she's quintessentially the English version of a netball umpire. But yeah, someone that I've always looked up to. So it was great to have those girls in the camp with us. X players are always the pundits, but how do you think Northern Ireland, Scotland and England did overall? Yeah, I mean, I think that everyone will always sort of say, or will England didn't win the gold medal off the back of the Commonwealth Games. But again, it's not a done thing. You know, the gap between all of those top four countries in particular is always so close. But so anything can happen. And I do remember watching that semifinal, willing the girls on to do well, because I mean, really a world cup, the worst case scenario for me is to actually be umpire in the final, because I've much prefer for the girls to be on there and knowing full well that, you know, from the year before, what that gold medal can do to propel the sports to even greater heights. So whilst it's Lee and I absolutely cherish every well-cut final medal that I've got, I would always say that I'd love to, you know, always trade those in so that the girls can get out of their own sport. But, you know, as I say, closeness between the top four, but again, the home nations, you know, that the closeness in that group as well was great. And it also means the competition structure. It means that games in the second part of the tournament are always a lot closer than they will be in the first part. So yeah, I mean, great showing for netball. And I think certainly the, as I said, the gold medal from the year before didn't just benefit England and England netball. It certainly benefited the whole of the home nations. And I know that Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland all saw that, especially with the coverage on sports personality in the year and things like that. Five years down the line. What do you think has been some of the biggest growth of the athletes become stronger? Oh, I mean, that's, you know, that has exponentially grown. I think, you know, their contesting harder and contest is a good thing. I mean, physicality is a good thing. People often look upon that as, oh, it must be negative. The game's too physical. It absolutely is. Absolutely isn't. The athletes are, you know, world class and their strength and conditioning programs are outstanding, which means they can, you know, contest harder than they've ever done before. But I think that aside, I think in the years kind of since then to now, what I've really loved to see is the growth and development within the African teams and teams like Uganda, you know, we all know what they did at the World Cup in 2023, you know, and it's just that general growth across the African region that's really great to see. And it only spells success going forward within the games because it won't then just be limited to the top four traditional teams, England, Australia, New Zealand, and Jamaica. It's actually extending more into the African countries. And I think that's just fantastic for us for especially as we try and push forward for a place in the Olympics in 2032. Are there more, I suppose, game-wise and just quicker on court as well? Well, I think it's a different style of play. So it definitely disrupts those more traditional styles and expected styles. And I would imagine they're quite tough to play against. You know, we've known that the African style of play is a bit like making a brick wall, that it's a level, it's a level, it's a level, it's a level. And they'll pass, pass, pass, and it might take down the brick wall and pass back, pass back. So from an umpire point of view, you have to kind of trust your whole plan, that right foot into the ground and just watch the, watch the play unfold. So it must be positively frustrating for the opposition because it does become impossible for them to read. And it certainly does sometimes for us umpire, because you'll get stuck into watching, you know, this beautiful layering play. And then all of a sudden, the devils will send a ball in from near and central to the goal under the post at pinpoint accuracy. And there is no way an umpire can keep up and catch up with that. So you trace the ball as hard as you can and then give you a co- umpire, a big smile on the way back saying the devils put you out this time. But that's the same with any country really. Well, I've done about you, Gary, but I'm still down and out on the ball walk of 2019 stories. Well, I tell you that, honestly, Andy, that is the closest that I've ever felt to me in a celebrity. And traditionally umpires are, you know, it's best for us to be heard and not seen and not remembered, you know, everyone always says the best umpire performances are ones that you don't remember. But literally the kind of, you know, the the attention that it would draw from all of us, you know, any of the umpires would it wouldn't be any wouldn't go anywhere quickly. You'd have to post sort of pictures and everything like that. So it's really lovely that the Neville family kind of embraced not only me, but everybody in the pool and kind of recognition and mistakes of umpires was sky high at that point. But I do remember being in a rather frustrating situation where I literally needed to whiz out for some lunch because I had to get back to reserve a game and it literally it took me nearly an hour to walk from the venue into the town to get into the city to get some lunch and walk back again. And had to sort of say to me, I'm really sorry, I can't, I've got to get back to reserve a game. So couldn't really do that. But yeah, it was brilliant, honestly, such warm menus that that worked out. The net will show is now also available via Sky HD, Sky Q and Sky Glass. So let's get it and we're on the podcast rail.
The Netball World Cup in Liverpool saw Gary Burgess celebrate 100 matches,